Weightgain! after breastfeeding stops

K

ksandvoss

Cathlete
Shelia or anyone,

I have seen many posts on this subject, but I still have questions. I lost all my pregnancy weight by 4 months, most of which came off after 3 weeks. I really think it was a combination of breastfeeding and staying very fit before and during my pregnancy. I actually was slow to getting back into working out because my baby was colicky and I had no time, so some of my weight loss was muscle. I have gained 3 lbs since resuming a more rigorous workout regime, but I thinkit is muscle.

My baby is almost 7 months and since 4 months he has becaome less interested in breastfeeding, thus my milk supply has been questionable. I started solids and supplementing with pumped milk and formula. This has worked, but he is getting less and less interested, even refusing the breast at times. To my dismay I may have to stop soon. I don't want to because I know how good it is for him, and I have enjoyed not having to worry at all about loosing weight. Has anyone had experience with a big weightgain after stopping breastfeeding? I have heard about people loosing weight, but not sure about gaining weight after stopping.

Thanks,

Kathy
 
Don't worry

As long as you don't eat like you're breastfeeding once you stop, you won't gain weight. You tend to eat larger portions while breastfeeding because you need to support milk production. Once you stop, that habit can continue, and you can gain weight. So as long as you remember that you're no longer eating for two and adjust those portion sizes, you should be just fine. :)

Erin
 
Hi Kathy! I was much like you where I lost most of my weight within the first 3 weeks after having the baby but the last 5 lbs hung on for a couple of months longer. After I stopped breastfeeding, to my surprise the last 5 pounds came off in a weeks time. I was not even trying to lose it, it just happened. But I think it is fairly common for your body to hold on to a little extra weight while you breast feed because it needs the fat stores to support the milk production.

You may have the same thing happen to you when this time comes (oh, but it is so hard to stop breast feeding isn't it? To have such a bond come to an end was a hard adjustment for me:-().

I don't think you will gain weight when you stop as long as you workout regularily and eat well. Take Care!
 
Thanks Cathe and Erin,

I'll let everyone know how it goes once I do quit, or he actually quits, which looks like the case. I am still hanging in there. Who knows, maybe I'll loose more weight after I stop. Anyway, for now baby and I are fortunate to have the benefits of nursing.

Thanks again,

Kathy
 
The big challenge for me was to decrease my portions as began to wean my 1st son -- I'd lost all of my pregnancy weight in 4 mos. due to exercise and nursing, but I never had to worry about what I ate because my son was such a hungry baby (I'd actually get shaky at around 2 or 3 o'clock every day if I didn't have a substantial snack!!)

Susan
 
Ignoring the weight loss question (as it has been answered so wonderfully), it sounds to me like your son might be teething. I found that mine didn't like booby juice as much when they were teething, but that they went right bac to it when their little mouths didn't hurt so much. Same with ear infections. But, with my kids, even though they wer fussy about nursing, it didn't mean they were ready to wean, just that they wer in pain.


Good luck- the whole thing is so stressful while you are doing it, but when it is over you'll look back and think how wonderful all this was!
 
BLinda,

Thank you for your response. I did consider teething at 4 months and still have not ruled it out. At 4 months he began teething and seemed annoyed with the new discomfort. He began waking at night. But he seems more use to it now. He has not cut teeth yet. I can't attribute it to just teething because he also gets easily distracted. He is a quick nurser, 10 minutes, but when he is distracted he stops and it can be 20 minutes. 20 minutes is still better than the 45 that it use to take. The problem is that sometimes when he gets distracted he refuses to go back to the breast, particularly the left. We recently had a doctor visit, so we know it isn't an ear infection. To be honest and to my dismay, my baby has never been as attached to nursing as other babies. When he was severely colicky, I had hoped it would bring a great bond between us. Although I hated that it took 45 minutes in the beginning, I was so soothed by it because for the first 3 months of his life, this was the only time he wouldn't cry. However, he is a meal only breastfeeder. He probably is less interested because he knows the bottle gives him faster results. I will keep it up as long as WE can.
 
Hi,

I have heard mixed reviews on this question too. Some women say they lose weight after stopping nursing, which I'm hoping will happen to me. I've been nursing my daughter for over 2 years, and I have 5 pounds that just won't come off. But I have a book titled 'How Weaning Happens' and it says that sometimes women actually do gain weight after stopping nursing because they get so used to eating a certain amount of food and continue to eat that same amount after the nursing stops.

Good Luck and enjoy the nursing while it lasts!!

It is such a precious time!

Kristie Schultz
 
Kristie,

Wow! 2 yrs. Hats off to you. I do not know how you have kept your milk supply up as well as maintained your baby's interest. I'll let you know what happens when I wean him. I am hoping I can keep going, but I don't think WE will be doing it for 2 years.

Kathy
 
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